Since you like the Porta Pros, I'd suggest the Creative Aurvana Live!. It has a warm, immersive sound, and has been a highly recommended headphone for many years now. Last time I looked, it was under $50 on Amazon.com. There are some down sides to this headphone however. The pads are a little...

I don't agree with any of your choices, but then, I won't buy headphones that cost more than $400, so I stopped at the third one on the list.

Unless you happen to be in the group that dislike the sound of the HD6xx. I am one, and I find their sound to be boring. Never felt connected to the music with them. The HD6xx does serve as a benchmark of sorts, but like most of the headphones mentioned around here, it comes down to individual...

Creative Aurvana Live! is inexpensive and a fine headphone if you like a warmer tone than neutral. So, there are a few good headphones to be had under $100. There is a group of Takstar Pro 82 fanatics that post regularly around here, and I believe it is still under $100.

Back when I had the TH-X00 Mahogany, I used ZMF Eikon pads. Great combo in my opinion, but those pads are $69.99 plus shipping these days.

I agree with the others about getting an amp. I have the SDAC myself, and use it with a Cavalli Spark amp, and that combo will drive most headphones with no issues. In the low price range for amps, I'd consider a JDS Atom II also. No one has mentioned another headphone option for you in your...

You're a little low on estimates for the D5200 and D7200. The retail price for the D5200 is $699 and the D7200 is $997. Those are current prices on Amazon.com.

I don't listen to Kpop as a general rule. Since I watch Kdramas, I've been exposed to a few songs, but nothing really stood out for me. Over the last week though, I've discovered Mamamoo and fallen into a very deep rabbit hole. Their music videos are good, but their live performances are...

$400 has been my ceiling on prices for quite a while. I'm perfectly happy in this price range, though buying used will bring some headphones within my budget that retail for more. I bought my Denon AH-D5200 for less than half the retail price. Everyone has different priorities for their...

The Creative Aurvana Live! was the first "good" headphone I tried that fit my personal tastes. There are plenty of headphones with better resolution and other technical aspects, but the CAL! helped me define what I like and dislike in headphones more than any other. I've had to repair mine many...

I'd say there is a good chance of them delivering on that schedule. They were candid about being at the mercy of Denon when I ordered my part, and they couldn't/wouldn't give me an exact date. If they are telling you a specific time period, I think they are more certain about the delivery for yours.

I ordered a part for my Denon and Encompass didn't have it in stock. They explained that it was normally available, but they were waiting on Denon to send them more inventory. It took two months for Encompass to get it in, but from that point, shipping was reasonably quick.

The Philips Fidelio X2 is my most comfortable set. I like the suspension band on top and the Brainwavz velour pads I'm using now have enough room for my big ears. The rest of my headphones are average to slightly less than average in comfort. Since I've never had issues catching my hair in...

It's good to question established science. We'll never progress without that type of attitude. I vaguely remember a story about a professor in the late 19th century advising a student not to concentrate his studies on physics, since all the major discoveries had already happened. Then, of...

I wasn't impressed with either, though I had very little time with the HD600. Bland, unexciting, closed-in presentation... I finally had to get rid of my HD6xx, as they were putting me to sleep every time I used them. Speaking of which, my favorite story about the HD600 and HD650 comes from a...

I think it's worth a shot, especially if you like your current HD599. I was unimpressed with both the HD600 (brief encounter) and the HD6xx that I owned for 11 months, but I'm a bit unusual in that reaction. They were some of the most bland, inoffensive and boring sets I've tried.

While we're considering the construction of planar magnetic drivers, are they prone to failure more often than dynamic drivers? I have no experience with them, personally.

I believe you can do just fine under $400 (US) for headphones. That's pretty much my ceiling for headphone prices, and has been for a while. Of course, I have no issues buying used, so that brings even more choices to the party.

I used Sennheiser HD414 pads on my Grado. They were better than the 60 grit pads from Grado, but still not enough for me to keep those headphones. The 414 pads didn't degrade on me, but then I didn't see that from the Grado pads either.

And you're right about the laminated bamboo in the 9200. It should be more stable than most solid woods. Some don't like the look of it, but that's an individual taste sort of thing. Denon can't be faulted for choosing laminated bamboo when considering the long term stability of the backs.

I don't have an answer for the interior of the 9200, but you're wrong about temp and humidity. Wood absorbs and releases water vapor all the time (lifelong woodworker and finisher here). There have been many examples of wood cups becoming out of round because of changes in humidity. Sometimes...

EQ isn't always an option. Some headphones don't seem to do that well with it in my experience, though it is probably my own lack of skill using or fine tuning the EQ. Also, I use Linux almost exclusively, and the best EQ tool in Linux isn't great. I recently had major problems when they...

I've used Brainwavz velour oval pads on my X2 since my original pads wore out years ago. You have to stretch the flap over the driver housing, but this is easy enough. This will cover the jack for the cable, so just push the flap aside a bit as you plug in the cable. The Brainwavz pads are...

I have no hesitation in modding my headphones. Finding the right combination of modifications can be frustrating, but every now and again you get close with little effort. I believed my Hifiman HE-R9 was a lost cause using the original cups. I made new, wooden cups to replace them and turned...